and grace towards them in this world; in mingled songs of praise to him who hath washed them from their sins in his own blood; and in exalted converse concerning the glorious scenes which the revolutions of eternity will be continually unfolding to their delighted gaze.” Such communion all good men may enjoy, in a more humble manner, in this world, without ever sitting together at the table of the Lord—thus having an antepast of their communion in the skies. All the errors of Christians will be destroyed, before they sit down at the marriage supper of the Lamb. Such as are in error, and yet really pious, will be saved; and yet, "so as by fire." Of course, this reference to the ultimate intercourse of Christians in the mansions of glory, can have no bearing on the argument. Who will dare to say, that no Quakers, denying both Christian ordinances, will be admitted to heaven? Who will affirm that no persons excommunicated from the churches on earth, will ever be admitted to heaven? And yet, upon gospel principles, it would be unlawful to commune with them while such.

To conclude-If I have succeeded in proving from scripture that the immersion of a believer is the only valid baptism-and if, as all Christian denominations among us admit, baptism must, on scriptural authority, precede communion, the accuracy of our conduct in refusing to admit to the Lord's supper those whom we conscientiously believe to be unbaptized, must be perfeetly obvious to every reflecting and candid mind. To act on a contrary principle, would tend to the destruction of baptism. If one might be admitted without baptism, so might another, and a third, and a fourth, and

all; and soon, instead of having "one Lord, one faith, and one baptism,” we should have "one Lord," many faiths, and no baptism.

We cannot, on any pretext whatever, break over the rules given us by the King of Zion. As our subject relates to the church militant, I will conclude with a military illustration, taken from an English author.— "An officer beats up for recruits, to resist a foreign invasion. A fine young man offers his services. He is taller, by head and shoulders, than some who have been enlisted. His officer surveys him, and thinks he has obtained a prize. He welcomes him to his Majesty's service, and proceeds, on the first convenient opportunity, to administer the oath of allegiance."

SERMON V.

THE ORIGIN AND HISTORY OF THE BAPTIST DENOMINATION.

"The Church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth."-1 Timothy iii. 15.

FROM this passage you might naturally expect me, on the present occasion, to describe the foundation, the materials,the organization, the discipline, and the permanency of the Christian Church. The allusion is to a firm pillar in an edifice which supports and adorns it, and on which inscriptions of various sorts are made to be read by all. The church supports and adorns, and holds forth to the world, "the truth as it is in Jesus."

But as a subject not inappropriate to the occasion on which we are assembled, I propose to give you the fifth discourse of my course, in vindication of the peculiar sentiments of the Baptist denomination, on the Origin and History of the Baptists.

The sequel will show how far the church of the Baptist denomination is entitled to be regarded as "the Church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth."

A connected history of the denomination to which we belong, is a desideratum. It has not yet been even

attempted. Some have given a historical sketch of distinct branches of the denomination, as Ivimy of the English Baptists, Benedict of the American, and Davis of the Welch. But none have traced them from the beginning, or given what might be called a general history. The man of suitable qualifications, who should supply this defect in Ecclesiastical History, would deserve well of the Christian world, and especially of the Baptist community.

The most that can be learned is from those who were interested to cover with obscurity or to blacken with obloquy the rise and progress of our sect. Whenever concessions can be obtained from them, however, they may be regarded as the best species of evidence in our favour; for such concessions were extorted from the lips of prejudice by the resistless force of undeniable fact.

The greater part of those historians who have honoured us with a passing notice, have generally fixed the date of our origin in the sixteenth century, at the time of the insurrection of those whom they are pleased to denominate the mad men of Munster, an appellation of which we shall see they were undeserving, unless it is on the principle of Solomon: "Oppression." Animpartial examination of the Munster affair will shew that it was an attempt to throw off the galling chains of oppression, and not an effort to establish any religious creed, or to promote the interests of any one religious sect whatever.

"The condition of the German peasants in the year fifteen hundred and twenty-four, the time they began to meditate a revolt, was truly deplorable. "The feudal